Masquerades
by Alien Emerald
Summary: “What are you afraid of?” he whispered in her ear, his warm breath trickling down her neck. She wanted to scream the answer at the top of her lungs, but she could not even make the word come out of her mouth. “You….” RobinXStarfireXRedX Triangle
1. Emotions

Finding Happiness

**Masquerades **

"**What are you afraid of?" he whispered in her ear, his warm breath trickling down her neck. She wanted to scream the answer at the top of her lungs, but she could not even make the word come out as an audible whisper. "You…."**

XX

Starfire walked down toward the rec. room, searching for some sign of a significant threat. The other titans were there already, discussing the options they had to take down their opponent. She had no interest in any of it. She stood by the door silently, waiting for orders from the masked man.

"….so we can't go to the east," Cyborg said, "because we'll get blown up."

"No," Beastboy corrected, "because we'll get completely _obliterated_." Everyone paused for a second, gawking at the green changeling. "New word."

"Head northwest," Robin continued. "We'll each take different angles, eventually meeting up at the same point." He pointed to the screen, where the big red dot was beeping. "That's were Slade should be."

_Slade, _she thought. _Slade is back?_ He had been gone for months now. He must have been planning something big. But this…it didn't look like a large threat. The rest of the titans were taking to it like they would any other villain. They must know that it is only a visit from him, rather than a fight. She hoped they were right.

"Titans, go!"

That was her cue. She headed northwest, as Robin had ordered, and followed an 80 degree line towards the attack. The city flew by below her in a smooth, grey pattern, and her eyes locked on every person down below. The alleys, the roads, the intersections, all crime-free thanks to the titans. She sighed deeply, wondering if anyone was capable of seeing the truth.

Her destination grew closer, and she realized she was much further ahead of the other titans. She took extra caution in approaching the scene, checking the surroundings for safety. It was on an abandoned rooftop, no doubt, and she knew that before she got there. On that roof top was a man in a bronze and black suit, staring up at Starfire with his one eye. He was Slade, and at first glance, he appeared no threat.

But she knew better of him. She kept her distance, waiting for the others to arrive. He only stared at her, as if he had the exact same intention. She didn't doubt that he did. At that moment, she felt no fear. She felt perfectly at ease in the air, comfortable with the tranquil silence between them. But, she did not count on it to stay that way.

Robin arrived first, and her body instantly tensed into ready-mode. She showed no tranquility or calmness, now, for she knew better than to look unprepared in front of her leader. She pretended to be on edge, and half the time it was no lie. The masked man was there, and she could never be perfectly at rest with him by her side.

"What are you up to, Slade?" Robin accused. The other three titans appeared, taking a guarded stance next to their leader. Starfire flew to join them, neon bolts ready in her hands.

"Nothing, Robin," Slade replied in long, drawn out words, a smirk on his face. He was completely at ease. "Why do you ask?"

"Because your up to something, and don't try to deny it," Cyborg said.

"Now, Titans, I don't see why you have to make such an accusation. I'm simply minding my own business. There is no need for a fight."

"Bullshit."

Slade paused, taking in everyones' expression. They were all tensed, ready to fight. He smiled, wider this time. "But, I suppose if you are so keen on fighting, I should not deny you your request."

He smiled, as big as ever, and lunged forward. Everyone immediately went into action, all providing offensive moves the first try they got. In less than a second, Beastboy had been thrown to the ground, his skull damaged and bleeding. Raven went to help him, in shock at what Slade had done to him. She had forgotten to put up a shield, and she was easily knocked to the ground with no effort on Slade's part. Cyborg was next to go, his circuits going haywire after Slade twisted something in his back.

It could have been just a bad day for them. They were all given hard-to-heal injuries, and each had only lasted a few seconds on the battle field. Anyone could have guessed that Slade had gotten better at fighting. But what they didn't know, what they questioned over and over again, is if they had gotten worse. Months had gone by without a real challenge to fight, and it could have easily put them out of shape. Robin, of course, was determined to prove that a lie.

The masked leader fought hand-on-hand combat against Slade, trying in vain to defeat him, or at least damage him. Even with Starfire throwing starbolts at him, it was no use. He was to strong.

In a matter of minutes, Robin was on the ground, struggling to cope with the pain of him injuries. With a final blow to the head, he was knocked out on the ground. Slade turned around to face Starfire, his face angry as ever. In an instant, Starfire's feet were on the ground, and she was unable to move, unable to breathe.

He grabbed her by her neck, squeezing until it sucked the breath out of her. "Your pathetic leader is nothing. Your entire team is worthless. The city their trying to protect, the things they're trying to succeed at, are all failing miserably. The criminal side of this world is raging in force, and you cannot escape it. You can fear it, you can join it, you can feed it, but you cannot escape it."

His words…they meant absolutely nothing to her. But the fear was sucking her under, holding her paralyzed under a raging black sea. She could not move, she could not think. The shock hit with unimaginable force, and she tried so hard to stay above water. But it was so hard to breathe…so impossible to move….

"Starfire!!" It was said in anger, in absolute abhorrence, rather than the concern that she yearned for. Trapped in a murderers hands, and all he could do was be angry. "Attack him!!"

But she could not. Slade had released his hold on her neck, and he had begun to slowly back away, off towards the edge of the building. Robin was 50 yards away, and he was incapable of getting to him in time. But she was. She was capable and she knew it, but she couldn't move her feet.

"Another day, Robin," Slade said. "You will get your chance again. Although, maybe not one quite as effortless as this."

He disappeared over the edge of the building, and she had no time to prepare herself for the furious impact.

Robin snarled in anger and turned an ominous gaze towards Starfire, who still had not come out of her shock. Robin grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her hard to wake her up. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Are you completely incapable of nothing?! How could you just stand there and watch Slade walk away!! We will never, ever have a chance like that again! Either tell me what happened, or you take this whole thing on your shoulders." He waited, gripping her shoulders as if to emphasize his point. She opened her mouth, gaping, willing the words of a muttered apology to escape her lips. He did not wait. "Nothing to say?" He slid his hands down her arms, gripping her biceps as hard as he could manage. Through clenched teeth, he began again. "Well, then, I hope you know that you're the one responsible for everything that's happened today. Until you can come up with a good enough excuse, then I don't want to see your face again." He violently released her arms, walking away towards the other just waking titans.

A vicious pang of throbbing hit her, and it was all she could do to keep her head in one piece. Her body crumpled under the weight of it all, and she found herself on the floor of the hard cement roof, waiting for someone to kill her on the spot.

XX

She awoke the next morning, and she could not remember anything that had taken place after the fight. She looked to her side, and saw the masked man lying next to her. She bit her lip quickly, trying not to gasp.

"Morning, Star," he said, pulling her closer to his body. "I'm sorry about yesterday."

Being next to him, his heat radiating of his body, his warm breath on her neck, his voice in her ear… it was everything she wanted. It turned her into putty, and it was his job to reshape it into his every desire. She was his puppet, and she could not deny the inevitable truth that she was his.

Every inch of her body screamed with joy, and her ignorance made it only scream louder. It was completely and utterly impossible not to forgive him, if that was what he wanted. She smiled brightly, kissing his lips hard. She was so entirely his.

He smirked. "Does that mean you forgive me?"

She nodded fiercely, afraid that the words would get stuck in her throat if she tried to speak.

He kissed her again. They did not speak until he had to go.

XX

**I can assure each and every one of you that I am leading you in the completely wrong direction. The first person who gets it right is getting a chapter dedicated to them, and possibly gets to decide what will happen. I hope you all enjoy this!**

**-Alien**

**P.S Stir is going to be postponed until further notice. If you have any complaints, please talk to my manager. points to the hippo He doesn't take kindly to complaints. **


	2. Revolve

This chapter is completely rushed

**This chapter is completely rushed. I'm sorry for the multiple errors, but I'm in such a rush. I have no time at all. I apologize, also, for not publicly thanking my reviewers. You are all so wonderful!**

XX

He didn't so much as bat an eyelash at her entrance. He remained standing where he was, arms crossed, staring at something that was completely invisible to the rest of the world. As she moved nearer, she could hear his breathing increase. Inwardly, she smiled, feeling reassured that she could affect him in a way, if only just a little.

She didn't dare speak, now. It was the silence that kept everything from slipping out of bounds, from finding the small crack that bled into insanity. It was separation, indeed, and no one could bear to break the fine barrier. It was not so much that the barrier itself was fragile, but more so that _they _were all fragile. The ones who had to deal with the truth were much too breakable to be handled. And the ones who did not know the truth were burdened with too much to tolerate much else.

The barrier of the sane and insane, the lies and the truths, was boarded up tight. They were all bounded by an unconscious fear, an instinct, to stay clear of it, unaware of what exactly could happen if it broke. But she knew.

Everything for them (but not so much for her) would be destroyed.

XX

"Raven?" Starfire knocked lightly at her friend's door once more, hoping that she was there. She had not been social towards anyone since the fight with Slade, and she desperately needed someone to talk to. Raven was someone.

"Come in, Starfire." Relief swelled inside her at the sound of her friend's voice. She opened the door without hesitation, slipping through the small opening and quickly closing it behind her.

"Raven," Starfire said, a sigh of relief embedded in her words, "you have no idea how glad I am to see you."

"Do I?" Raven replied.

"I need to talk to you."

"I assumed."

"It's...," she began. She could not find the words.

"About him?" Raven offered.

"No," Starfire said. "I suppose I just needed someone to talk to…about life."

She understood. Immediately, no more questions were needed on the topic of the discussion. "But," Raven continued. "How are you and Robin?"

"Unwell," Starfire said. "It is a relationship with only one emotion shared between us, revolving around a million more."

Raven nodded, urging her to continue. She stayed quiet.

XX

_There were no words needed. And, in this case, silence was welcome. One word could smash the entire moment, the little moment of fantasy that was so far from reality. That one dreaded word could make them realize exactly what they were doing. One word…it was all that was needed to send it all spiraling downward._

_Lust. That was that single emotion. The one with the sins tied into each end of its beautiful body. Desire, seduction, apprehension, fear, longing…. The ones that revolved around it. _

_That annoying itch that was buried deep under your skin, the one thing that told you otherwise. Everything done, everything happening, was all floating in ecstasy. But there, somewhere in the center of it all was a nagging that begged with every remaining part of you not to go on. It was too small, too insignificant, to matter to her in that moment. But with each corner turned, with each step that took her further into the alluring darkness, it grew on her skin. _

_It was growing, and although it was not large enough to matter much, it was something that she couldn't overlook._

_XX _

**Rushed. Stupid. Pointless. I can see flames coming my way. Please, try to get past the bad part. Look at…um…well, since all of it **_**is **_**the bad part, look at…looks around…this wonderful lint ball! It's certainly much better than this chapter.**

**Please, review, and maybe the next chapter will be upgraded from lint to platinum!**

**-Alien**


	3. Right

XX

_XX _

The itch was burning in that moment. It was like a thousand tiny pins were lightly brushing the hairs of her arms, irritating and annoying her to no end. But, even further under her skin, was a torch. It was a flame that continued to blaze to no abide, and she could do nothing but try to hide the pain contorting her face. And, on top of that, it was spreading, down her arm and around her center. There was no cure for this. Or, at least, no cure that was an option to her now.

_It could help, _she thought. _You know, just to see him._

She supposed it could. There wasn't a lot she wasn't willing to try. Anything to get rid of the pain under her skin. She got to her feet, exiting the room and walking towards his. It was hard to imagine him anywhere but in this hour. She had memorized his mental schedule, and she was the only one who always knew where he was, where he would be…. The itch burned further.

"Robin?" she asked the door, afraid to knock. No answer. She knocked anyways, somehow knowing that he would remain silent, nonetheless.

She opened the door to his room, careful not to surprise him. That is, if he was looking. Which he wasn't. The room was a mix of black and white, black being from the afternoon sun having vanished from the window, leaving only particles of sunlight drifting in the blinds, and white being from the chaotic layer of papers covering all but his bed.

"Robin?" she said. "How long have you been here?" Usually, when he left, the room was cleaned by another titan. And it never got this untidy, anyways. He couldn't have only been here for a little while.

"Can't remember," he said. She nearly sighed with relief at the sound of his voice. It was calm and neutral. Even if his room was not, he was. At least he wasn't angry with her anymore.

"You need to rest," she said, implying the whole food, water, sleep, and shower thing along with it.

"If you would have caught Slade, I wouldn't even be here right now," he said dryly. So, he was still angry. It figured. His mood swings controlled him, and most of all, her. She would forgive him whenever he wanted her to, and that was her weakness. She would jump off a bridge for him.

She didn't say another word. It wasn't _her _fault that he was an obsessive maniac. It was his own problem if he turned completely insane (or, better yet, just died). He was blaming her, fine. She couldn't do anything to wind back the past, no matter how much she regretted it. And she did. She regretted not catching Slade, for it would have meant his respect, his smile, his love…. It would have meant the whole world to her, but she didn't.

_But I_ could_, _she thought. _It's not like he's gone forever. He's somewhere out there, and it's quite possible to find him._

She was right. She would search the entire world for him, because it meant so much to find him. So, with her goal in thought, she set out to find Slade, starting with the small circle of Jump City.

After the first hour of search, she forgot where she was. She forgot everything except that she was searching for Slade; she was going to die trying to kill him for destroying her life. He was, in every way imaginable, entirely responsible for every moment her pathetic life had come down to. Her attempts were futile to try to fight against it, and she had to come to terms with the fact that she could not be happy anymore. Robin was psychotic, the team was ignorant, and she…she was everything that, a few months back, had been unquestionably wrong in her mind.

But this…this was the first thing in a long time that she was doing right. And that fact was overwhelming. And if she found him, if she _caught _him, everything would change. Robin would no longer be obsessive, for there was nothing to be obsessive over, and the team would no longer be oblivious, because there were no secrets to hide.

How many times had she said 'It will all be fine'? She was sure she had said it many, many times. And she was sure that there were even more times when she had been miserably wrong about it. Even if she knew she was wrong at that moment, the words rang as clear as a bell in her head. At times she found herself believing them, falling into the false sense of security that she hoped was real. This was one of those times.

Her mind, every corner and every crevice, had been enveloped in the capturing of Slade. But not even that, really. It had been thinking about what _would _happen if she caught him. All of the happy days and smiles would return to her life, and that irresistible fact had blinded her completely. Her body moved with unimaginable speed, set on finding the man who had ruined her life, and the man who was about to fix it.

Suddenly, her body was stopped. She tried to move her legs…they moved, but did not take her anywhere. Her arms were trapped under something hard, something smooth. Heat came and went in shallow breaths on her face, and sweat began to bead on her forehead. But she did not fight the arms that trapped her there. In a single instant, every single thing that had once been so important was forgotten.

XX

_How had she arrived here? When did he get here? Those questions didn't matter so much to her. She was living in the present, thriving in the ardent passion and fervency of the moment. And as for the future…all there was was the eagerness to move forward into the new pleasure that came next. Every single cell in her body was tingling, enthralled with craze for him. _

_But that itch was there. Her conscious, as usual, was there with it. She knew (every single part of her knew) that this was wrong. She did not love him, and whether he knew it or not, she was only with him for the pleasure. It was, actually, slightly more than that. Such as forgiveness, forgetfulness…just a way to get away from the world for a few blissful moments. But nonetheless, it had nothing to do with who he was. It was for her own selfishness, and nothing more. _

_He had not ever once told her he loved her, and for that, she was glad. It was easier to swallow the guilt that way. His eyes, like hers, were filled with no affection, only lust. That made it easier, at least for a while, to ignore the itch under her skin, and to ignore every moral right that she was currently going against._

_XX_

**If you are super-smart, you'll put together the clues I give you. You might not be able to figure out **_**who, **_**but you might be able to realize something close to that. I'll give you a hint: love and lust. Sounds cheesy, eh?**

**You are all such wonderful supporters. I'd put all your names up, but I'm too busy for that right now. I'm writing at LEAST 3 stories at the moment. Kinda hard to balance that with…well, the other shit.**

**Hope this chapter was better! Please review!**

**-Alien**


	4. Choice

XX

_XX_

He was watching her again. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see his mask, his face glowing beneath the moonlight. It turned her on, and at the same time made her want to vomit. Her mind was torn in half, and it was all she could do to keep herself from losing all control. At times, she felt like a puppet. Her mind was pulling the strings, making her dance, all while she just sat and watched. She never judged what the strings made her do. They were just… a part of her.

She pretended not to notice him. He was there, and he knew she knew he was there, but she did not do anything about it. Maybe if she just stayed where she was, if she just stood still, he would have no reason to confront her. She was tired today. Maybe she could fall asleep….

But she knew that wasn't an option. She had been unable to sleep for days, kept awake by vivid images of her deepest fears flashing through her mind. She wanted to confront those fears, if it was the only thing that would allow her conscious to stop judging her, but they kept her away by sheer force. She was scared of everything these days. Fear was the only thing that still violently gripped her, the only thing that made her take control of herself at times.

She decided to lie down anyways. Even if she couldn't sleep, at least he would eventually leave. How long he would stay, she had no idea. She would just have to try and stay still until then. Recently, she was constantly avoiding him, including most contact with everyone else. Solitude was her only friend, since it was the only one who never said anything to her. All words, to her, were negative comments and lies.

She closed her eyes, purposely turning away from the window. She could feel his eyes on the back of her neck, watching, waiting for movement. She avoided all movement, but she could not help her shaking. It was not cold. In fact, she was sweating. But she could not control the fear that was wrapping around her body like a snake, squeezing all the life out of her. She was weak, and she knew. It only made it easier for the fear.

Despite her efforts to fall asleep anyways, her mind remained awake and alert. Every sound, movement, or smell was pungent and very much there. She could not ignore any of it; therefore she could not ignore the fact that the eyes that were watching her were gone from her senses. She couldn't feel them anymore. She wanted to turn around and face the window, but some part of her would not allow her to move. Her body was as still and obstinate as a rock.

"Cold?" Like a surreptitious cat, he was suddenly next to her, holding her. She did not move. She did not dare scream. Her body just shook harder, sweat dripping off her face like a fountain. He was in her room, next to her, touching her…. "I missed you."

She could not longer tell what was sweat and what were tears. Her emotions were all flying through her head at once, incapable of telling her what to do, what to think. It was impossible to know what she truly wanted. Her conscious told her to run, but her body told her to stay. It was so confusing, and she didn't bother trying to make sense of it. She was a puppet. It didn't matter anymore.

She turned around, the sweat and trembles violently resisting every move she made, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He was icy cold, and it felt good to have his chest pressed against hers. She lifted her head up to set her shaky lips on his, moving them slowly against his slick skin. She felt sick to her stomach, like she was going to blow at any minute, but she didn't care. Whatever happened happened.

Eventually the struggles silenced, accepting the war they could not win. It was happiness that filled her now, like she was truly accepting what it had come down to. That she was stuck here in this struggle and it was the way she would have to live her life. She was living in secrecy, in defiance to everything else around her.

She pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around his body. They were entangled together, now and forever, in this lie they told for their own selfishness. She was in it without him, because she was the only one who had to lie. He lived this like he did it every day, and she didn't doubt he did. But it was so much harder for her.

Pleasure surged through her body, beating like a pulse in her veins. She was so high up, so far from everything else that she could not bother to care about much else. It was her time now, and she would let nothing ruin it. The world could be crumbling beneath her, and she would be happy to let herself fall, as long as she was with him like this.

It was so incredibly wrong, yet she could not get herself to deny it now. It was a part of her, and whether it was addiction or pure choice, she could not live without it. It was nothing more and nothing less than what it surely was: Absolute. Unadulterated. Lust.

Would it truly be that hard to go back now? That was the question she would always ask herself. She did not know the answer, nor did she want to find out, but she was happy to stay the way it was. It was now when she would not deny or question that. But it was later, when she was simply detached and alone, that she would wonder if she was making the right choice.

But she knew she was. Wasn't she?

XX

**I had to freaking drag myself to the computer to do this. Ever since school started, all I've been doing is school work and sleeping. I haven't even had time to have dinner or breakfast! Gah! So I'm really sorry if this chapter made no sense. My mind is in a complete blank right now, and I could think of nothing to write this about. The last chapter will probably be the next one, because I have no time on my hands to complete this. **

**Please review!**

**-Alien**


	5. Made

XX

XX

The red light that she had forgotten long ago flashed through the hallway. She was immediately alert, ready to defend her position as a hero. She was overly protective of that position nowadays, for a reason she refused to name. She flew as fast as she could to the hallway, finding the rest of the titans waiting for her there. She assumed they knew nothing about the villain, since they were already discussing strategy.

"We all go together," Robin said. "We're not getting separated again. We'll all head east towards the diamond museum, and come in through the same door. Go!"

Everyone headed out in chaos, split up completely, against Robin's orders. Eventually, they knew, they would come together again. But, for now, it was separation that had them. Raven and Beastboy were flying somewhere to the north, Cyborg driving south. Robin and Starfire were directly in the middle, headed in a straight line towards the crime scene.

Every emotion, every thought was somewhere behind her now. The fierce wind blew it all away, and it was the fight she was focused on now. It was just the city, the wind, and her goal. Everything else did not matter, just what she had to do, what she had to protect. It was her job, and nothing could ever change that focus for her.

Until she suddenly found herself falling, being pulled down to the ground with unimaginable speed. She could hear Robin shout her name, the sudden screech of tires, and then she waited… She knew what it felt like to hit the ground, knew what it felt like to have your insides broken and jumbled around. It hurt very much, more than anything else she had ever experienced. But that didn't happen this time. Instead, she found herself in a pair of familiar arms, and her heart immediately started beating faster.

No, she didn't hit the ground this time. Instead, she ended up in his arms, pressed against his cold chest, staring up into his masked eyes. It didn't hurt like hitting the ground. It hurt much, much, much more. Her heart throbbed in protest, screaming at her to fight back. But she couldn't. Her brain would not function, only mutter incoherent words. Her breathing sounded like that of a small dog, and she began to sweat harder than ever before.

"Hey, cutie," he said. She didn't respond. She didn't even bother to try. It would only make matters worse, because what would come out of her mouth would be nothing close to hate for the man.

"Put her down!" she heard Robin shout. The clapping of his boots got closer and more urgent, and she tried so hard to will them away.

"Why should I, Robin?" the man holding her asked. "She's just as much mine as she is yours."

Shit. There were no more options. She had chosen her path, whether it was right or wrong, and she was too far down it to turn back now. She could do nothing to stop the truth that she knew had to come at some point. It was here, now, and all she knew was that she was not ready for it.

"Put her down, Red X," Robin spat. He was furious. Another man was taking claim on _his _girl, and he would have nothing to do with it. She almost laughed. She _was not _his. No, not anymore.

"I suppose you don't know yet, kid." She held her breath, even though it was impossibly hard. She hoped she would faint. Maybe then it would be less painful when she died. It was the end of her world as she knew it, and there was nothing she could do about the consequences.

Robin was only a few feet away now. His voice was quivering, a rare sign of weakness. But she was his weakness, and she knew that. She had known that from the day she chose this path. "About what?"

She could feel him smirk, feel his arms on her tighten. He was so intent on making this as painful as possible for Robin, and she felt so much pity for him. He said the words as clear and arrogant as he could, "About us."

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Robin yelled.

"She never told you, did she?" Red X asked. "Poor boy."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING, YOU BASTARD!!" It was not a question anymore. It was pure fury towards the man that was about to murder him inside. He knew the exact words that were coming.

Red X only smiled wider. "Every night, when you're working on your little projects, there are secrets in play behind the wall. A hundred things that you've never experienced, because you were always too busy working with your precious Slade. All of the things you would die to see and feel, all of the words you would kill to hear…all of which I have seen and felt. I've heard the words that were meant for you, Robin. But guess what? She said them to me."

"No…," he whispered. "That's a lie!"

It was almost sad. He sounded like a small child, trying to deny that his parents were dead. It would not register with him.

"It's true, Robin. Your precious Starfire belongs to me now. I have the one thing you can never have, I-"

"SHUTUP!!" Robin screamed. He dropped to his knees, pressing his hands against his ears to try and make it go away. But it wouldn't. It was there, and it was true. There was no going back now.

She wanted to tell him she was sorry. That she was so incredibly sorry, and that she loved him so much. But there was no reason to fill his head with lies. She was not sorry, not in the least. She had enjoyed every single moment so far, even if she felt so unbelievably guilty. It was her life…there was no going back now.

"Sorry, kid." At least Red X could say it. At least he, unlike her, could say the truth. She could not say anything at all.

"Starfire…." He was talking to himself now, trying so hard to process everything at once. It was too complicated, too hard to think about. His life that he had ignored for so long was gone, and he suddenly found himself falling down from the platform that had just been pulled from under his feet.

This didn't just mean his life. It meant the life of the team, everyone's goals to protect the city. Without their leader, without their best friend, everything would fall to pieces. Nothing could ever, would ever, be the same again. It was all her fault, and for that, she was sorry. She would miss her friends dearly, but she could not turn around.

She could not go back. She could never, ever go back. The itch that had once been so powerful was now gone, and she was filled with relief. The hands that caught her were the hands that now held her, and they would be there forever. For everything she had done, for everything she had chosen to do, she was glad.

She was in his hands now.

XX

**The end. Yata yata. Too…tired….**

**Review!**

**-Chloe**


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